The local government of Cebu City is planning to acquire at least 100 electric vehicles that will ply major roads in the city by next year as it aims a greener and more sustainable land transportation system in Cebu City.

North district City Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the committee on environment told DAILY TRIBUNE that the city expects to receive at least 10 e-vehicles from Global Electric Transport by the first quarter of 2024.

"This could be the first large-scale electric vehicle deployment by a local government unit in the Philippines," said Garganera, adding that the local government has allocated P150 million for the purchase of e-vehicles, while P50 million was pledged by businessman Endika Aboitiz and P100 million will come from the Aboitiz Foundation's donation.

About P300 million is needed to purchase 100 units of EVs.

The unit cost per EV is pegged at P4.2 million but under the special agreement with GET, each unit can be purchased for only P3 million and the city will pay only P1.5 million for each unit as the remaining P1.5 million will be paid by the private sector.

Garganera also disclosed that in the tripartite agreement between the City, GET and Aboitiz Foundation, it will be GET that will operate the e-vehicle units as well as provide the necessary maintenance at no cost to the city.

He reiterated that green mobility aims to reduce a diverse set of environmental impacts primarily caused by the transport sector.

"The goal is for the transport sector to decarbonize and decrease the current level of emissions to a low-carbon scenario," Garganera said.

Studies revealed that 50 to 70 percent of the air pollution in most cities is attributed to the carbon emissions from fuel-powered vehicles, noting that air pollution kills seven million people per year based on a GET report.

In terms of maintenance, EVs have low-cost maintenance compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles since fewer materials are involved.